


Burn the Tree

by Lupinshealer



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Epic Bromance, F/M, Fae & Fairies, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-30
Updated: 2013-10-21
Packaged: 2017-12-25 03:22:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/948040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lupinshealer/pseuds/Lupinshealer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>15 years have passed since the first attack of the fae. The devastation left on the wake of the attack meant most humans had died. The few that weren't killed banded together, not as a resistance but as the only way to survive. In this broken world two children, Scott and Stiles, find each other and become brothers. Against all expectations they reach adulthood, and when they do they find a community, a mix of humans, hunters and werewolves. It is only then that they all find out that their truths are not complete.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I owe a million thanks to my beta and good friend Katherine (I don't remember her AO3 name, oops no one tell her that). Apart from that, just making sure you all know that unfortunately this isn't a Sterek, the only real couple in the story is our usual star crossed lovers and all that jazz. Still hope you enjoy.
> 
> By the way, in case you were wondering the title came from the awesome song 'Follow my feet' by the 'Unlikely Candidates'

It was raining, as it always seemed to be. The sun had long since abandoned the human race, it seemed unwilling to confront the fact that the humans had irrecoverably lost to a forgotten enemy, the Fae. They had attacked half a decade ago, fiercely and with enthusiasm. They didn’t seem to want anything apart from what seemed to be the thrill of the hunt and the kill. Humans, once the top of the food chain, found themselves the prey to a predator they did not fully comprehend. All that was known about the Enemy was that iron seemed to be their only weakness. It was a shame that the army hadn’t known that before ⅘ths of the entire world population had been exterminated. Now there was no great army that was able to fight off the Enemy. Instead, the ideals of battle and honour were forgotten and survival was all that mattered. 

 

In the broken ruins of what had once been a great city were two figures, two small children who were studying each other with great concentration. The smaller of the pair, a pale mole covered boy with a buzz cut and amber-brown eyes wearing a red hoody two sizes too big was the first to speak.   
“You Scott?” he asked, the tone of his voice suggested that he already knew the answer to his query. The second boy, with his tanned skin and seemingly black eyes, was more cautious, more weary so merely answered with a nod of his head. Scott held in his hand an iron knife that his father had given to him before he died. In the era they lived in, it never hurt to be too careful.   
“Who are you? And how do you know my name? ”   
“Your mum sent me.”   
Scott, who had been worrying about his mother due to her unusually long absence forgot all about learning the name of the stranger and instead jumped at the chance to ask how and where she was. The paler of the pair looked at the boy dressed in the dusty black clothes with great sadness. Scott, confronted by this obvious pain in the boy’s eyes, understood, yet was unwilling to admit to himself what had happened to his mother. The child in red then said   
“Scott, your mum, she… She didn’t make it. I found her as she was… Going.”   
“No, NO! You’re lying, you have to be. She can’t be dead! She’s NOT dead. Why would you say something like that. Go away, you liar.” As Scott shouted this, tears started to develop but before they were able to flow freely down the eight year old’s face, the boy wiped his eyes and glared as menacingly as he could at the other boy. The recipient of the glare was unfazed by Scott’s anger and merely answered by quietly saying   
“Beacon Hill’s nurse” 

 

Although this phrase seemed ridiculous , it was a code that Scott’s mum had taught him to mean that the person who said it was trust worthy. It meant that what the other boy said was true , his mum was gone. She was never coming back. She was dead, killed by some twisted fairy look a likes. As these thoughts crossed his mind, Scott began to panic, he couldn’t breath, the air wouldn’t reach his lungs, and in a way Scott was grateful, maybe he would black out and when he woke up, everything would be fine again. His mum would be there next to him telling him everything would be alright. But before darkness took over, the other boy put his arms around Scott’s shoulders and told him that everything would be okay, that he would take care Scott now. Strangely this calmed him down, and instead of choking, he cried. Tears rolled continuously down his cheeks as he clung as tightly as he could to the stranger.   
“I’m Stiles, and we’re brothers now. I won’t let anyone hurt you, I promise.”


	2. Finding

**10 years later**

The forest was dark, dreary and damp so Stiles felt absolutely miserable. His stomach hadn’t stopped complaining and this meant that, much to Scott’s chagrin, Stiles wouldn’t stop complaining either.  
“I haven’t eaten in three days, Scott, three days! My stomach is going to eat itself. I’m going to be the first person who died of a self eating stomach. If newspapers still existed the headline would be something along the lines of ‘First ever death through self eating stomach’. Owner of the Stomach is called Stiles, read all about it in today’s newspaper, only $1.50!”  
Scott merely replied by rolling his eyes.  
“I’m starving!” Stiles whined  
“Stiles I haven’t eaten in three days either, remember? Plus my mum once told me that a person can survive three weeks without food, so cheer up, you still have tonnes of time.” Scott finished that statement with his brightest smile.  
“You’re a werewolf, Scott, you have that whole thing where you don’t need to eat for days, also my body weight is made up of sarcasm, I need food to keep it up.”  
“Bro, I’m not disagreeing with the second point but do I need to remind you that you’re the one that’s fond of telling me that it’s actual wolves that can do that not werewolves.”  
Stiles answer was to sputter until he ended up scowling.  
“No point in pouting, you know I’m right.”

 

After the little talk they stood in companionable silence until Stiles’ stomach rumbled loudly. Scott looked at Stiles, smiling and then burst out laughing.  
“It’s not funny”  
“It kind of is though”  
“No it’s not, and the reason for that…”  
Before Stiles could finish, he was interrupted by Scott who suddenly froze. The bigger boy started to raise his head, nose up, and took in a deep breath.  
“Stiles I can smell something, something strange”  
“You mean food?”  
Scott simply glared at Stiles.  
“I want to get out of this forest, something’s not right.”  
“You think Fae?”  
Scott hesitated before answering.  
“I don’t think so but I’m almost certain we’re not alone. Come on, lets get out of here.”  
Stiles nodded and the both of them turned around, retracing their steps.

 

For a couple of hours they didn’t talk, both too worried about what Scott may have smelt. When the sky became dark and the moon started to rise the boys stopped for camp. Scott started to speak when he noticed that Stiles was stacking dry pieces of wood.  
“I don’t think which should light a fire tonight.”  
“The smell still bothering you?”  
Stiles was starting to get really worried, if Scott was right that meant that not only did they have an unknown enemy but they didn’t have the energy nor the resources to fight it off.  
“No, I can’t smell it anymore it’s just my instinct is telling me that something is still out there.”  
“Should we carry on then?”  
Scott wavered before shaking his head.  
“Neither one of us has the energy to go on...”  
Stiles, agreeing with his friend, finished Scott’s thoughts for him  
“...so we should sleep in turns tonight, sure we can do that. I’ll go first, it’s better if you’re in good shape if we get attacked. I’ll wake you up in five hours.”  
As Scott was getting ready to sleep, Stiles studied the forest surrounding them carefully, and mumbled something under his breath. Satisfied that nothing jumped at them, Stiles found a comfortable place to sit.

 

Four hours after having fallen asleep Scott heard a noise. He stood up quickly and took out his father’s old iron knife. He had the added benefit of fangs and claws, but those remained useless in the fight against the Fae so he didn’t want to take any chances against an enemy he hadn’t yet seen. Scott was able to take a couple of steps forward before he heard someone preparing to attack him from behind. He quickly turned to face his unknown assailant, completely wolfed out as Stiles was fond of saying. Scott heard a quick “Shit, a werewolf” before he charged towards a man wearing a mask, and caught the his enemy’s throat in his free hand. He growled showing his fangs, but before he could start questioning the man a powerful female voice shouted for him to stop.  
“You will let go of Jackson right now if you don’t want your friend to get his throat slit open”  
Scott let go of the man instantly and turned around to face the person threatening his brother. He saw a sight that made his blood run cold, Stiles was looking at Scott with his hands raised in the air and a woman who was also wearing a mask held a knife under his chin.  
“Sorry man, they caught me by complete surprise.” Stiles said.  
Scott shifted back to his human form and dropped the knife that was still in his hand before raising his hands in the air like Stiles.

 

The woman asked her partner if he was okay, getting a grumble in response. She then turned her attention to the prisoners, and took out her own iron knife  
“I’m now going to make sure that neither one of you is a Fae. Don’t do anything rash, you’ll regret it”  
Stiles paled visibly and flailed a little bit before asking  
“ What are you going to do with the knife?”  
The woman replied quickly and impatiently,  
“Cut you”  
Stiles said, a touch hysterically,  
“Cut us, you mean make us bleed with blood flowing. Are you crazy?”  
The masked archer answered by asking  
“ Why? Have something to hide?”  
“Not really I’m just not a big fan of sharp things making me bleed.”  
The woman ignored him and grabbed his arm, she made a shallow cut and studied his injury making sure that none of the skin started to burn. Faes, being magical creatures were intolerant to iron and the slightest touch of the metal burnt them. Once she was sure that Stiles wasn’t a Fae using glamour* she walked towards Scott and waited for him to give her his arm. She made the same cut on Scott, and once the cut had healed she pressed the knife to her own arm to prove that she was human as well.

 

Once everyone was certain that none of them were Fae in hiding, both attackers unmasked themselves. This gave the boys a clear look of their assailants and after several seconds of study they realised that Jackson and the girl weren’t actually adults but were the same age as them. The girl was a pretty brunette with brown eyes and visible inner strength. The boy was handsome in a conventional way with his muscled body and blue eyes with blonde hair. The girl was the one that broke the silence,  
“I’m sorry about that, but I’m afraid it was necessary. My name is Allison and this is Jackson, and you are?”  
Scott and Stiles shared a look before the werewolf replied to her question  
“I’m Scott and this is Stiles. Why are the both of you here?”  
Allison seemed surprised by the question  
“Aren’t you here because of the Community?”  
Both boys shook their heads in confusion. This time Stiles was the one that spoke,  
“What’s the Community?”  
At the question Jackson burst out laughing.  
“Oh brilliant Argent, you attacked two random guys for no reason at all.”  
The girl simply ignored him and went back to asking questions to the other two.  
“If you’re not here for it, what are you doing in our forest?”  
Rather than reply to the question directed at both him and Scott, Stiles decided to antagonize Allison. He was sick of being treated as a prisoner when all they had done was try to sleep in the forest, but before he could open his mouth Scott shook his head, warning Stiles to not open his mouth. The werewolf knew perfectly well the his brother in arms never knew when to shut up and so took it upon himself to stop him before he got them killed.  
“We hadn’t realised that we weren’t allowed here, we just needed to get resources and rest in a place that was covered enough that we wouldn’t get easily found by the Enemy.”  
Allison and Jackson nodded in understanding, both knowing the essential need for cover to survive in this world. Stiles once again asked what the Community was, and this time he got his answer.  
“The Community is, as its name suggests, a group of people that found each other and banded together. It’s basically a village, but everyone, man and woman, boy and girl, is taught to fight, hunt and heal. We’re raised to be able to survive in a group or alone.” Allison paused for a breath but before she was able to continue she was interrupted by Scott  
“Does this place… Does it accept people like me? You know, werewolves?”  
Allison smiled softly at Scott and replied  
“Yes we do, there’s a pack and its alpha is one of the three leaders. We also have emissaries, or druids as we call them. As long as they’re not Fae, we’re pretty accepting, we don’t have the manpower or supplies to be judgemental over whom we accept to be perfectly honest.”

 

Scott was thrilled with the news and asked if it was possible for him and Stiles to go to the Community but before either Allison or Jackson were able to answer Stiles snapped  
“Are you crazy Scott? Do you honestly want to go with some crazy people that attacked us in the middle of the night for no reason at all? For all we know they could be setting up a trap by tempting us with their gingerbread house!”  
After Stiles finished his tirade Jackson intercepted by sneering and saying  
“Yeah thats a great plan, defeat the two losers and then convince them to go to the Community where they’ll be killed. Absolute genius. Allison, I personally think that we don’t need two idiots in our midst, they’ll probably end up killing the lot of us by accident, just leave them here and let’s go.”  
Allison merely glared at Jackson, making it clear that his ‘suggestion’ was going to ignored. She then looked wearily at Stiles and began to speak.  
“Your worries are logical and I’m sure that out there, there are people that do such things, but we don’t. You can only take our word for it, but I promise on my life that the Community is a safe haven for any living human as long as they follow the rules”  
Stiles studied her before quietly saying  
“You shouldn’t make such important promises so easily. You never know who’ll use it against you.”

 

Allison swallowed and took a step back before she realised what she was doing. She then carefully looked at Stiles, trying to see what she had missed in the boy she had clearly underestimated. When she had first seen Stiles she’d thought he was the weak type, the kind of person that hid behind a stronger individual and whose only defence was his sharp tongue. Seeing the relationship he shared with Scott only reinforced that idea. The werewolf seemed to be the leader of the little duo not only because of his superior physical capabilities but also because he was the one that seemed to be the most rational. But she’d missed something, a certain strength, or maybe darkness, that the pale boy had that would make it impossible for someone to lead. Allison made sure to remember to watch Stiles carefully if he accepted to come with them to her home.

 

Scott was surprised by the darkness in Stiles voice, but neither did he find it completely unexpected, his friend had always had a firm belief that promises should only be made as a way of proving loyalty and truth, they are not to be easily used. Still, he thought that Allison’s reaction to what his brother had said was a little bit extreme, Stiles could be frightening but he’d been perfectly normal just then. Once the werewolf saw that the pretty girl had recovered from her momentary lapse, he turned towards Stiles and begged him for the both of them to go see the Community. The thinner boy was vulnerable to his friend’s puppy dog eyes and so grudgingly accepted to go with them to this safe place.  
“Fine, but just to see the place, and if an old lady tries to eat us I’m going to leave you behind and never look back.”  
Hearing this Scott whooped in joy and smiled shyly at Allison who in return tilted her head flirtatiously.

 

As they went to gather their things Allison saw that Stiles’ arm was bothering him, she approached him and asked  
“Do you want me to take a look at the cut? I may have gone deeper than I thought.”  
Stiles, seeing the honest regret that lay in Allison’s eyes, smiled softly at her and told her not to worry  
“I bruise easily and I bleed easily, cuts always hurt more than they should. Don’t worry about it, I’ll be fine in a while.”  
Allison nodded and went back to help her partner in getting some of the things they left behind in their makeshift camp not 200m away from where Stiles and Scott had set up theirs. Scott on the other hand knew about his friends easy bruising but still wanted to see the injury.  
“No, Scott I’m fine, it’s nothing I’m perfectly alright really. Let go of my arm!”  
The werewolf ignored Stiles’s request and pushed away the fabric covering the injury. When Scott was finally able to see the cut he gasped. The skin surrounding the cut was bright red. Stiles sighed with exasperation, pulled his arm away and said  
“You know how I get, my injuries always look worse than they truly are. Relax, I’m not dying.”  
“Stiles it looks infected!”  
The thinner boy merely raised his eyebrow and told his brother  
“I’ll be fine in a couple of hours, it just my body going under shock for having been cut or something. If you want I’ll show it to you later”  
Scott nodded his consent although still obviously worried. When the four of them got moving and a couple of hours passed, the werewolf asked Stiles to show him the injury again just to be sure he was fine. The boy did so with annoyance, but Scott saw that the cut was much better, only slightly red now and not bleeding any longer. He smiled, content and when he turned his back to Stiles he missed his friend’s exhale of relief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glamour is the capability to look like something you’re not. For example the glamour hides a Fae’s wings and other physical differences they have. The glamour is only a mask, beneath the magic they are still the same.


	3. Walk

“We’ll be arriving in a week if nothing goes wrong”

“A week? One week? I won’t survive that long without food? I’ll have you know that I haven’t eaten in three, no make that four, days. I need food!” 

Allison looked put out by Stiles’s complaint while Jackson merely sneered

“If you think that we’d be stupid enough to travel without any food you’re even dumber than you look and that’s no easy feat. So yeah, we have food but I don’t want to waste any of it on a guy that’s probably gonna die sooner rather than later.”

With these words Jackson sauntered to the far front of the group leaving an enraged Stiles to demand a share of the food. 

 

Allison was about to tell the boy that she was willing to give him something to eat in the instant if he agreed to stop complaining but she stopped when she saw Scott’s pleading look. He was begging her not to say anything to his brother. She tilted her head, silently asking him why she shouldn’t bargain with Stiles. Understanding the question, Scott went to stand by Allison to talk, Stiles didn’t notice his friend’s movement, too busy cursing, what he considered, the douchebag extraordinaire.

“Look I know how Stiles seems at first. He’s loud, obnoxious and never stops complaining, but I think that the only reason he talks so much is to help him ground himself. With silence he easily loses himself and forgets that he’s not alone. I think that before he found me, he had no one at all so he talked to himself to not go crazy. Talking to me keeps him sane like me having him around keeps me human. He anchors my humanity while his voice anchors his sanity. So, please let him complain if it makes him happy, plus, after a while it becomes amusing to listen to.”

 

Allison looked away and bit her lower lip in concentration. Scott nodded to himself, pleased that had made the girl understand his friend a little further. The both of them walked on in companionable silence while the other two boys quibbled. Stiles was trying to persuade the older boy to give him whatever snack he held in his bag until the blonde punched the brunnette, or to be more accurate, tried to punch him. Stiles ducked just in time, and while Jackson was in an unstable position, he took the blonde’s bag and ran back until he hid behind his friend, Jackson, furious, followed him until he was blocked by Scott, who although exasperated by his friend’s antics, didn’t think he deserved to be pummeled. He turned around facing Stiles, held out his hand and said

“Give me the bag”

Stiles stuck his lip out but did as he was told. Once the bag in his hand, Scott turned around and gave it back to the glowering blonde as he said grimacing

“Sorry about him, when he’s hungry he goes even crazier than usual and doesn’t think before he acts. Honestly, I think the whole thing would be smoother if you just gave him a small piece of whatever you have.”

 

Allison, who had found the whole thing incredibly amusing, took out some dried bread from her bag, cut it in half and handed a piece to Stiles with a dimpled smile. She then took the other half and gave it to the werewolf who beamed at her.

“Oh thank gods, I’m not going to die.”

Jackson growled at the smaller boy, doing a passable imitation of a werewolf. In response, Stiles stuck his tongue out and chewed on the bread with his mouth wide open letting Jackson have a clear view of the food getting digested. The blonde grimaced in disgust and stalked away from Stiles. The brunette jumped in the air allowing all the world to see that he had won this round in their two man war. 

 

The rest of the day was uneventful, all they did was talk and get to know each other. Scott and Allison spent the majority of it learning about one another while the other two worsened their relationship. Stiles made sure to annoy Jackson as much as he could while the larger boy held back, unwilling to have a confrontation with the werewolf. In hope of detaching himself from the other boy, Jackson told Allison that half the group should go hunt to bring back provisions while the rest made camp. His hopes were dashed because even though Allison agreed she thought it best if Scott and her were to go hunt as they were the best hunters. Stiles grinned evilly knowing that he would have more opportunities to bother the stronger boy. The small group split up and a couple hours passed before the hunters came back with the dead animals. Upon their arrival they found that the camp hadn’t been made and instead the two boys were fist fighting.

 

The werewolf’s reaction was instantaneous, he walked toward the two boys, separated them and started shouting at Stiles.

“What the hell Stiles? You’ve annoyed people before but you’ve never gone this far! What were you thinking? They’re the first people we’ve met in the last three years, why are you acting this way?”

Stiles shrugged and said 

“He’s a douche.” 

Scott looked at him intensely before turning his back to Stiles and going towards Jackson 

“I’m sorry about him, the only way to handle Stiles is to ignore what he says”

Jackson sneered and told the werewolf 

“Keep your bitch on a leash. I can handle myself.” 

Scott looked taken aback and Allison glared at the blonde.

 

A couple of minutes passed and the tension between the four decreased slightly Allison ordered all of them to finish the camp preparations. They did this in silence and the rest of the night was uncomfortable for all of them. Scott and Allison had tried to make conversation but the sullen behavior from the the other two quickly put a stop to their effort. Once they were ready to sleep, the hunter once again took charge and told them that they would have a sentry rotation of two hours each starting with herself, then Jackson, Scott and finally Stiles. They all nodded their agreement 

 

The next morning was still awkward but it lacked the testosterone fueled anger that half the group had carried the day before. All four of them helped unmake the camp, and once they had all eaten pieces of the rabbit that Allison and Scott had caught the day before they were ready to leave. Since they had all calmed down, conversations resumed although not at the easy beat that they had held when they had first met. Allison made sure that Stiles was unable to further antagonise Jackson by asking Scott to distract him. Scott nodded and solemnly promised her that he wouldn’t allow anything like that to happen again. 

 

Allison held back her laughter upon seeing his serious expression, and instead smiled tenderly at him. Scott blushed when he noticed her amusement but didn’t feel too uncomfortable, after all if she smiled like that it must mean he’s doing something right. In fact the second he left Allison’s side he went to Stiles and asked him what he thought. His best friend cooed at him and said

“Awwww. Look at my little baby, growing up so fast. I remember it like yesterday when you were talking to me about Batman.”

Scott looked unimpressed with what his friend said and repeated the question but this time asking Stiles if he thought he had a chance with Allison. It was then that Stiles realized just how deeply Scott would one day fall in love with hunter, so he told Scott seriously 

“To be honest I’m not sure I’m the most qualified person to talk to you about that kind of stuff, but I honestly think that the feeling is mutual”

Scott looked at his friend eagerly, as though he was a puppy and was being handed treats.

“You really think that?” 

“Yes Scott, now, let us make music”

Scott was about to roll his eyes but before he finished the movement he smelled something familiar. Stiles was whistling away next to him while the other two of their small party were ahead talking quietly.

 

“Guys! I can smell something!”

The three members of the party turned towards him, Jackson and Allison looking confused while Stiles looked worried. He asked the werewolf

“What are you smelling?”

“Same as yesterday” 

Jackson then added commentary to the conversation 

“Why should we be so worried about what you smell, last I recall Allison and I had been able to ambush you guys without your nose picking up anything.”

The blonde then smiled smugly remembering just how stupid the other two boys had looked when they had trapped them. Stiles hadn’t even had time to open his mouth before Allison had threatened to put an arrow in his balls if he even said one word. 

“There had been another smell masking yours then.”

Jackson looked disbelieving at what Scott had said while Allison shared a look with Stiles asking him if he knew what the werewolf was talking about. The boy shook his head, biting his lips in worry.

“Dude, are you sure it isn’t just Jackson’s sexual frustration?’” 

Jackson glared at Stiles, but he was ignored, the latter concentrating fully on the werewolf. Scott shook his head again and said 

“No. I’m sure that it isn’t Allison and Jackson. It’s something else” 

“Fae?”

Allison was the one that asked the question this time. Scott looked helpless for a moment, and then whispered.

“I’m not sure. I’ve never been close enough to one as a werewolf to be able to fully differentiate smells.”

The Hunter then asked 

“Does it smell sweet, dangerous but sweet? Some of the werewolves in the Community described it as being similar to nectar.”

Scott paled visibly before answering the affirmative.

“Shit.” 

Jackson looked like he was about to be sick while Allison remained stoic, prepared to fight to the death

 

“We should hide somewhere” 

As he said this, Stiles was turning on himself looking for a place to hide. He wasn’t having much luck thus far but he wasn’t giving up. Scott, seeing his brother’s survival instinct kicking in started to do the same thing. Allison on the other hand was looking for a higher vantage point. If the Enemy was unaware of their existence she might be able to kill it with her arrows. A few minutes after Scott’s revelation Jackson shouted out loud, and much to Stiles’ horror, the blonde had found a good place to hide. It was a largish animal’s abandoned nest, it was perfect. It was underground and leaves would cover the entrance. Although they wouldn’t be able to see anything, with Scott’s super hearing and smelling hey would be able to tell when it was safe. The only drawback was only two of the four would be able to fit in it. 

 

Scott as sacrificial as always was about to say that one of the three could have his spot, emphasising Allison’s and Stiles’s safety, the both of them being the smallest would be the most comfortable. But, before he could tell anyone his fantastic plan Allison interrupted him by saying 

“Jackson, Scott, the both of you enter the nest while Stiles and I will be in the trees supervising everything. If something goes wrong I’ll shoot and I might be able to kill one of them before we all get killed” 

She then turned towards Stiles, waiting for him to acknowledge the plan. He first glanced at Scott. He saw that the werewolf was about to complain and say something along the lines 

“But I’m the stronger of the two, it makes more sense for me to be out there.”

Stiles wasn’t going to let his brother do something stupidly heroic as he would be prone to do if he saw one of the Fae and so nodded. Scott was about to argue, but Allison said

“Scott, it’s the best plan, Stiles and I are the lightest of the four of us so we’re going to be the least noticeable if we’re staying in the trees”

Scott deflated, understanding that that was the best course of action. He resigned himself to having to be worried but not do anything if he didn’t want to jeopardize everything. Whilst this argument had occurred Jackson had put himself in the nest and wasn’t willing to move a centimetre. 

 

Once Scott and Jackson were hidden from view, the other two found themselves a tree and climbed on it. Both were well hidden in the foliage but Allison made sure to have an opening in the leaves large enough for her to be able to shoot an arrow. Stiles on the other hand was trying to put as many leaves between him and the outside world. The both of them stood completely still for several minutes, Stiles was about to lose patience when a soft breeze that carried a sweet smell appeared. The both of them knew exactly what this meant. A Fae was nearby. Both young adults stiffened but apart from that they didn’t move.

 

Out of the shadows a lone figure stepped out. He, judging from it’s physical appearance, was clearly inhuman. He had human proportioned Ice blue butterfly wings. They were intricately designed, with darker blue spirals flowing throughout the wingspan, confusing whoever looked at them directly. The wings looked delicate, as though a mere puff of wind would rip them to shreds but the humans knew that they were far more powerful than they seemed. Due to the large surface area of the wings the Fae were very slow, compared to humans, when they had to turn 180°. When people had found this out they had tried to use bullets from behind but their magic stopped them but didn’t stop physical attacks and so knife wielding people had had jumped at them from behind. Although they couldn’t turn around to defend themselves the wings were more than sufficient. Just moving them backwards and forwards ripped those foolish humans to shreds. The edges were so sharp that it could cut flesh and bone. 

 

The rest of the Fae’s appearance was as otherworldly as the wings. In the eyes of the humans he was perfect, his features were sharp and feminised, his body lithe but powerful and his eyes were large, his irises were night blue but his pupils were cat slits. Although his shape was human his skin had a bluish tint, his ears were tapered towards the end his teeth were pointed and he had small claws at his fingertips. Even his shortish hair was blue, a slightly darker shade than his wings. He wore clothes that seemed to have been flowers and bushes grown directly to become clothes and they covered his torso down to his thigh but everything else was bare even though it was cold outside. The Fae’s arms were covered in black tattoos that showed a leafless tree from its roots to its branches. 

 

The Fae wasn’t aware that there were humans hidden in the trees and he stayed where he stood clearly waiting for something to occur. Stiles held his breath while Allison slowly cocked her arrow and waited patiently for a moment when she could shoot. When she saw that the Fae was distracted she was about to release the arrow but before she let go she noticed another Fae. This one seemingly female. Her purple hair was longer and she seemed to have breasts although small, they were visible. She wore the same clothes as her male counterpart but where he was blue she was different shades of dark purple. She was the same height as the male Fae but her figure was softer and her butterfly wings didn’t have the circular design but rather jagged lines. The humans were aware that the males and females of the Fae were as ruthless and powerful as one another. It seemed as though with this species evolution hadn’t given extra strength to the men.

 

The two Fae talked to each other in their strange musical language for a couple of minutes until they both nodded and flew away. In a matter of seconds they became small in the day sky leaving the two humans hiding in the trees to breath out a sigh of relief. They both climbed down their trees and went to meet up with the other two that were hiding in their hole.

“Everything is fine.” Allison said at the entrance of the burrow “The Fae didn’t even realise we were there and they flew away a while ago”. 

Jackson and Scott left the hole, and before Stiles was able to insult the way both boys looked Scott held him in a bone crushing hug.

“I was so worried you were going to get killed, and I thought for sure that you were going to die and I don’t know what I would have done. Thank God that you’re okay.”

Stiles laughed cheerfully and hugged back. When their moment passed Scott then rushed to Allison but he held himself back from hugging her and instead just gave her a smile.

“I’m glad everything went well”

Allison looked at the werewolf gently and said

“I am as well”

They stared at each other in awe and tenderness until Jackson coughed and said

“Right, well if we’re all done with the relief and stuff we could maybe start going back, because I am so sick of the forest and I need to go and get away from Stiles.”

Stiles pouted and asked 

“Don’t you love me Jackson?”  
In reply to this question Jackson snarled and walked away from the smaller boy. Stiles laughed and ran after him.


End file.
